


Baby Names

by thefruitsofmysoul



Category: Pretty Little Liars
Genre: F/F, Family, Fluff, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2017-06-26
Packaged: 2018-11-19 09:53:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11310927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thefruitsofmysoul/pseuds/thefruitsofmysoul
Summary: When Charlotte and Melissa Hastings find out that they're going to be parents, they're thrilled. There's just one problem...what do they name the baby?





	Baby Names

Finding out that your spouse is pregnant can be one of the most rewarding experiences of a person’s life, especially after going through many hardships at such a young age. It was no different for Charlotte Hastings once she realized that her wife, Melissa, was pregnant with her child, two years into their marriage. She remembered embracing Melissa tightly and crying tears of joy, as cliché as that sounds. She remembered how she had never seen her brunette wife so happy, how thrilled they both were to share the news with their brother, Jason. In fact, they were so thrilled to share the news that they had forgotten one critical aspect of having a child…

 _What to name the baby_.

This came to their attention while telling Jason the amazing news.

“I’m happy for you both. Really, I am.” Jason grinned after hugging both of his sisters tightly, “Did you tell Ali yet?”

Charlotte shook her head.

“She’s still at work, so she didn’t answer her phone.” She explained, “But we couldn’t wait to share the news with _someone_.”

Melissa nodded in agreement as she held her wife’s hand tightly in her own, rubbing her thumb gently over the blonde’s knuckles. Jason had to admit to himself that he had never seen Melissa as calm as when she was around Charlotte.

“Just one question.” Jason said, looking slightly awkward, “I don’t want to _presume_ anything, but –”

“No, Jason. We’re not telling you where babies come from.” Melissa said sarcastically, rolling her eyes as Charlotte swatted her arm playfully, quietly murmuring, “ _Behave_.”

Jason fixed Melissa with a not entirely serious glare.

“Not _that_.” Jason all but exclaimed, “A different question.”

“ _Yes_ , we will still be having sex, Jason.” Melissa smirked at the aghast look on Jason’s face.

“ _Melissa_!” Charlotte’s tone was incredulous, but it was evident that the blonde woman was deeply amused, “I said _behave_.”

“Will you punish me if I don’t?” Melissa took great pleasure in the look on Jason’s face. It was similar to the one that her father, Peter, wore during the painfully awkward conversation with her when he realized that she was, in fact, an adult, _a sexually active one at that_.

“I’ll deal with you later.” Charlotte said lowly enough that only Melissa could hear before turning to Jason, “What did you want to ask us?”

Jason looked hesitantly at Melissa, as if he were afraid that she would start talking again. Once the brunette gave him a shrug, Jason continued.

“Like I was _trying_ to say,” He said, “I don’t want to presume anything, but have you both thought of what to name the baby?”

There was a moment of silence as Melissa and Charlotte looked at one another. In the midst of their excitement, they’d never thought of what to name their unborn child.

“No, we didn’t.” Charlotte admitted quietly as she turned to face Jason once more, “But I guess you can help us.”

Jason cracked his knuckles and grinned.

“I have a few suggestions in mind.” He beamed as he stood up from the chair he was currently sitting in, “I’ll be right back.”

As he left the room, Melissa turned to Charlotte.

“Should I be concerned?”

Charlotte rolled her eyes.

“Why’re you asking _me_? He’s your brother too.”

“You’ve known him longer.”

Charlotte snorted.

“Look, the first eight years of my life don’t count. We were _children_ , Melissa.”

“Exactly! You were around for his formative years. You know how his brain functions.”

“Don’t be so dramatic, Mel.”

“I’m _not_. All I’m saying is –”

“If you two are done with your lover’s spat.” Jason’s amused tone rang throughout the room as he returned with a short piece of paper, handing it to Melissa before he sat down, “Hanna helped, so I can’t take all the credit here.”

As the couple observed the list of names, Melissa’s eyebrow raised.

“Why is this list titled _What to Name Charlissa’s Love Child_?”

Jason shrugged sheepishly.

“Like I said, I _may have_ let Hanna have creative reign.”

Melissa took another look at the list and frowned.

“We’re not naming our child _Charlissa_.”

“Why not?” Jason smirked, “It’s a perfect show of your love for one another.”

Charlotte chuckled and reached over to take the list from Melissa, taking a closer look at it for herself, rolling her eyes at the notes Hanna and Jason had left for themselves:

_ What to Name Charlissa’s Love Child _

_Charlissa (duh, may the ship forever live on)_

_Hanna Jr. (I’m obviously getting dibs on god mom)_

_Jason Jr. (I’m your favorite brother)_

“Jason, you’re our only brother.” Charlotte deadpanned.

Jason shrugged.

“Narrows down the competition for world’s best uncle, now doesn’t it?”

Charlotte rolled her eyes and kept reading:

_Anything but Kenneth (for obvious reasons)_

“That one actually makes sense.” Melissa pointed to the suggestion that Charlotte had just finished reading, “But I’ll add one of my own. Let’s not name the baby after any of our parents. Fair?”

Charlotte nodded.

“Agreed.”

The list only had one more suggestion:

 _Rosewood_.

Melissa blinked, stunned into silence.

“Which… _genius_ suggested that we name our child _Rosewood_?”

“That was Hanna.” Jason explained, “She thought it’d be romantic to name a baby after the town where you two fell in love.”

“That’s not happening.” Charlotte said abruptly with a firm shake of her head, “ _Not happening_.”

A silence descended upon the trio, only broken by the sound of the front door opening. It was evident by the clicking of heels against the marble floor who had entered the house.

“Sorry I missed your calls Char.” Ali apologized as she leaned down to hug her sister, repeating the gesture with Jason and Melissa, “The time got away from me. One minute, I’m grading papers, and the next, Hackett wants me to –”

“Alison.” The use of Ali’s full name stopped her rambling as Charlotte addressed her, “Melissa is pregnant.”

Ali’s features took on a relieved countenance as a grin stretched her lips as wide as they could go.

“I’m _so_ happy for you two.” She exclaimed eagerly, her excitement palpable, “What’re you planning on naming the baby?”

The couple’s silence was all Alison needed as an answer.

“It’s okay if you don’t know already.” Ali said hurriedly, keeping note of the slightly guilty look on the new parents’ face, “Do you two have a list or anything?”

Jason puffed out his chest slightly in pride.

“Actually –” He started before Melissa handed the piece of paper to Ali, effectively cutting off whatever Jason was about to say.

Ali took a moment to read the list, her eyebrows knitting in confusion.

“Why isn’t _my name_ on this list?”

Melissa, in spite of her proper upbringing, gawked at her younger sister-in-law. She couldn’t be serious. Sensing that Melissa was speechless, Ali gave her a bashful grin.

“Sorry, couldn’t resist.” She said nonchalantly, “Here’s an idea. Sometimes when couples have trouble naming a child, they turn to works of fiction that have inspired them in some way. Novels, movies, television shows.”

Ali paused.

“What show did the two of you have in common growing up?”

Charlotte tapped her chin in thought as Melissa shifted slightly next to her, making herself more comfortable on the loveseat.

“I didn’t watch much TV growing up.” Charlotte said quietly.

“That’s fine.” Ali said quickly, not wanting to dredge up memories of a tragic childhood, “How about –”

“But,” Charlotte interjected, “I remember one time when mom let Peter babysit me as a child. He was very nice considering everything, even let me watch TV when he knew our father wouldn't like it.”

Jason and Ali looked shocked, while Melissa stared at Charlotte adoringly.

“I can’t believe you remember that.” Melissa’s tone was barely louder than a whisper.

Charlotte pressed a loving kiss to Melissa’s lips, pulling away slowly.

“I remember everything when it comes to you.”

Ali cleared her throat playfully, but it was obvious that she found the display of affection to be cute. Even Jason, who generally used the complaint _“that’s my sister”_ was smiling.

“When did that happen?” Ali asked in genuine surprise, “I didn’t know Mr. Hastings knew you existed before the whole _A_ thing.”

Charlotte smiled in reminiscence.

“ _That’s a story for another time_.” She said sagely before shaking her head, “But as I was saying, Peter would let us watch TV, and Melissa and I spent over a quarter of an hour searching for a show that we _both_ wanted to watch.”

Charlotte grinned as Melissa bit her lip to keep a dopey grin off of her face.

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”

Ali blinked, and Jason raised an eyebrow.

“TMNT?” Jason queried, “You never watched that with _me_. Even when I asked.”

“It was the show I shared with Melissa, Jason.” Charlotte answered Jason’s unasked question, “It was just something that I wanted to share with her and no one else. Not even my own brother.”

A comfortable silence occurred once more before Ali broke it.

“So, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles it is, then.” She said, “Did you have a favorite character?”

Melissa shook her head, not in denial, but as if something had just occurred to her.

“Her name was Karai.” Melissa stated, her eyebrow slightly raised, “And –”

“We’re not naming our firstborn after _Karai_.” Charlotte finished, “ _Karai_ _Hastings_ does _not_ have a good lilt to it.”

“Then what about Kari?” Ali suggested, “It’s close enough to Karai for nostalgia's sake, and don’t you think that _Kari Hastings_ has a nice sound?”

As Charlotte turned to face Melissa, she instantly knew what the brunette was thinking, for it followed her own line of thought:

 _It does_.

“That settles it then.” Charlotte smiled, leaning down to tenderly rub Melissa’s clothed belly, “We can’t wait for you to come into the world, Kari.”

Ali clasped her hands together in joy, overcome with emotion to the point that tears filled her eyes.

“Did I mention that I’m _so_ happy for you guys?”

Charlotte and Melissa looked at Ali fondly after her declaration. No words of _thanks_ needed to be said. It was simply _understood_. There was a peaceful silence among the group of four, all basking in the idea of Kari Hastings being brought into the world. That is, until Jason broke the silence with another question of his own.

“What if the baby’s a boy?”

Three pairs of eyes, coming from three frowning women made Jason wish he’d never asked.

“ _Shut up, Jason!_ ”


End file.
